The Legacies of Lamsdorf / Łambinowice

The Legacies of Lamsdorf / Łambinowice The active history of the internment camp at Łambinowice/Lamsdorf in Upper Silesia came to an end shortly after the Second World War. The huge POW camp was liberated on 17 and 18 of March 1945; for a time afterwards, in its neighbourhood, a labour camp for ethnic German was set up, which ceased operations in October 1946. During the Cold War, the camp was a forgotten relic of the past. It was recalled in the 1990s as a memorial site. The Museum commemorates the legacy of the past: the memory of those who were imprisoned there, and the significance of remembrance for the present generation. This collection of sources illustrates the multi-faceted legacy of internment through various aspects of commemoration. Acknowledgements This source collection is made by Chris Rowe and the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole. This collection is part of the unit “Internment without a trial: Examples from the Nazi and Soviet regimes” that is developed in the Multi-Facetted Memory project. More information www.euroclio.eu/multi-facetted-memory

Evacuation of POWs in January 1945 Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

Exhuming the truth A group of the detained in the Labour Camp in Łambinowice working at the exhumation of the corpses of Soviet prisoners-of-war, August or September 1945. In July 1945, in the vicinity of the complex of POW camps of Lamsdorf, mass graves of Soviet soldiers murdered by the Germans were discovered. The investigation into the crime perpetrated by the German military authorities was undertaken by a Polish-Soviet commission which conducted the works from the summer of 1945 to January 1946. According to the findings of the commission, there were about 40.000 Soviet POWs buried in the cemetery near Klucznik (Kleuschnitz). They had died or had been murdered in Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf. (Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole)

Plan of the Labour camp 1945 - 1946 Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

Cemetery of the Soviet Prisoners-of-War The cemetery was established in 1942 near Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf. There were buried Soviet prisoners-of-war (also Poles conscripted to the Red Army). Died people were buried in layers in mass anonymous graves.The traces of mass graves were found in July 1945 as a part of the activity of the State Extraordinary Commission of the USSR, partial exhumation of the corpses was carried out on the turn of 1945 and 1946. According to the findings of the Commission, about 40 people were buried there. (Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole)

The Soviet Prisoner-of-War Cemetery in the 60s Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

The Cemetery of the Victims of the Labour Camp Due to political reasons for many years after closing down the Labour Camp in Łambinowice (1945-1946), which number of victims is assessed for 1.5 thousand people (mainly German civilians), the cemetery existed only in consciousness of people knowing the history of the place. In 1999 survey exhumation of corpses was carried out. It confirmed the existance of mass graves on the penetrated territory. The cemetery was built in 2000-2002 as the last stage of creating a memorial there. Opposite the cemetary gate there is situated a wooden cross which started the process of commemorating the victims of the camp in 1991. In front of the cross there are 22 marble plaques in a row. The first one includes an extract of a prayer of intent, two next - the name of cemetery and its founders, and the rest - surnames and names of 1137 victims whose identity was recognized by Polish and German researchers. (Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole)

The watch tower and the fence was reconstructed in the area of Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf Most of the camp has been demolished, the fence and the tower was reconstructed. The former Administration block of the military training is now part of the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole. (Photo by Jacques Lahitte / CC-BY-SA 3.0)

The Monument of the Victims of the Labour Camp A monument commemorating the victims of the Polish labour camp (1945-1946). The monument was established in 1995. It is in a shape of conciliation cross and was made from stones brought from the places where the victims came from. It was conceived as a symbol of reconciliation of Poles and Germans living in Opole Silesia. On the monument there is a following inscription (in turns in German and Polish): to Germans and Poles who were victims of the camp in Łambowice in the years 1945-1946. (Photography: Sławoj Dubiel, Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole)

Monument commemorating the Warsaw Insurgents Photo by Sławoj Dubiel, Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

Students working with artefacts in the present-day museum in Opole Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

A school visit at the present-day museum in Opole Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

Students working with an eye-witness Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

The Education Center in Łambinowice Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

A school visits at National Site of Remembrance A school visits at National Site of Remembrance. The former Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

Young people cleaning the cemetery established during World War I Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War in Łambinowice-Opole

This collection is part of the unit “Internment without a trial: Examples from the Nazi and Soviet regimes”